A former Fortune 500 company attorney who experienced a dramatic remission from lupus.

A nurse from Florida who became free from back pain after twenty-five year of suffering.

… and dozens of high profile athletes who now recover faster from injuries?

All of them use a very easy healing method powered by nature itself. And the best bit is that it’s right under your feet!

We interviewed Clint Ober - the man responsible for sharing the concept of Earthing (also known as Grounding) and its incredible benefits with the world.

His book, Earthing The Most Important Health Discovery Ever, co-authored by the cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, was written to help us re-discover our connection with the Earth beneath our feet and restore our natural state of good health.

Since 1998 Clint has been tirelessly focused on promoting the scientific exploration and practical applications of the concept. His research, and that of other scientists in the field that proves the powerful effect of the earth, is brought together at the educational site The Earthing Institute.

It’s with absolute pleasure that we are sharing Clint’s discoveries and advice with you here:

C&J: Why is it important to be physically connected to the Earth?

Clint Ober: As strange as it sounds, the ground beneath your feet may actually be the single-most powerful medicine on the planet. That’s because of Mother Earth’s natural endowment of “electric nutrition,” a virtually limitless supply of free electrons that gives the ground a natural, negative electric charge. This overlooked resource nourishes living beings in the animal and plant kingdoms that have direct contact with it.

We humans, particularly those of us in so-called advanced societies, are the exception. Lifestyle changes have largely disconnected us from many aspects of Nature, including the planet’s natural healing surface.

We rarely venture out barefoot. We no longer use footwear or bedding made of hides and leather that allows conduction of the Earth’s energy into our bodies.

We wear insulating rubber- or plastic- soled shoes. We no longer sleep on the ground as we did in times past. Many of us live and work in buildings high above the ground.

Why should that have anything to do with health, you may be wondering Disconnection causes dysfunction.

Increasing research is confirming my observations over the last fifteen years that this disconnection from the Earth creates dysfunction in the body contributing to inflammation, pain, fatigue, stress, and poor sleep.

The disconnection may actually represent an entirely overlooked factor behind the rapidly growing epidemic of chronic, non-communicable illnesses throughout the world.

Reconnecting to the Earth’s healing energy – a simple concept I call Earthing or grounding – has the potential to slow down and reverse this alarming global descent into unwellness.

Reconnecting to the Earth's healing energy - it can slow down the epidemic of chronic illness.

C&J: What are the health and wellness benefits of Earthing/Grounding?

CO: In 1998 I made a fascinating personal discovery. I found that by grounding myself to the Earth − lying on a simple conductive bed pad connected via a wire to a ground rod placed in the soil outside − that my back pain went away and I no longer needed pain pills to fall asleep.

Since that time I have grounded thousands of people and the results have been similarly astounding. Electrical systems throughout the world are stabilized when they are grounded (earthed), that is, connected to the Earth. So too, our bioelectric bodies become stabilized when we humans are grounded, meaning in direct skin contact with the Earth.

Our bodies work electrically: every movement and thought is based on frequencies and transmissions in the body. Think of systems like the heart and brain and immune system that operate electrically.

What Earthing does in simple terms is to re-establish a lost connection to our age-old electrical roots. Based on my own years of personal observations, feedback from around the world, and ongoing research published in medical journals, we can confidently say that Earthing generates major health benefits such as:

Rapid reduction or elimination of chronic pain.

Dynamic blood flow improvement to better supply the cells and tissues of the body with vital oxygen and nutrition.

Reduced stress.

Increased energy.

Improved sleep.

Accelerated healing from injuries and surgery.

In short, the Earthing experience clearly shows that our bodies work better when we are connected to the Earth, that is, when we are grounded. We sleep better, have less pain, and have more energy, and, in general, feel better.

>> Read on to discover stories of the most life-changing results from Earthing

C&J: What are the best ways we can ground ourselves on a regular basis?

CO: The simplest thing is to go outdoors and sit in a chair with your bare feet placed directly on the Earth for at least a half-hour.

Try this easy way to get grounded: Sit in a chair with your bare feet on the Earth for 30 min.

However, most people won’t or can’t do this, and certainly not routinely. Their lives are too busy. There are other priorities. The weather is bad, etc. It was for this reason, and also for conducting research, that I developed simple grounding systems people could use indoors. They include conductive bed sheets, pillowcases, wristbands, and mats you can put on the floor at your computer desk or in front of a favorite chair.

Thus you can now ground yourself when you are working, relaxing, or even when you are doing nothing, sleeping. For people whose health is compromised I recommend they be grounded as many hours as possible, and, most importantly during sleep, the time when the body heals and restores itself.

C&J: What are the most common things that people tell you after they start Earthing themselves?

CO: They commonly say their pain is less, or it’s gone. They are amazed. Often these are people who have gone to doctor after doctor and who take pain pills. They commonly say they sleep better than they have in years. This includes insomniacs. They say they feel calmer. They feel more rested. They feel better. Many women have told me their periods are less harsh or that their hot flashes have subsided.

It has been interesting for me also to observe how grounding rapidly improves how people look. There’s a beauty effect as well, a result in part from improved facial blood flow. We’ve even done a study that confirms this effect.

C&J: What are the most life-changing results you have encountered from Earthing?

CO: There are so many stories of relief, beginning with my own. The Earthing book is full of great stories.

As examples, a former attorney for a Fortune 500 company who experienced a dramatic remission from lupus after starting Earthing in 2010. She’s still going strong more than five years later.

There’s a retired nurse in Florida who suffered with bad back pain for twenty-five years and within a few days of grounding her back stopped hurting.

I heard from dozens of parents with autistic children who reported their children were sleeping better and experiencing improvement in social interactions.

Many people have reported faster recovery from injuries, including dozens of high profile athletes. People have told me they have surprised their doctors by how fast they healed after operations.

>> Read on to discover a FREE experiment that you can do on your own to feel the healing energy of the Earth

C&J: If Earthing is so good, why have most people not heard about it before?

CO: Every discovery has its time. And this may really be a re-discovery, since many cultures throughout time likely knew about the healing power of the Earth. The knowledge appeared to have been lost or out of sight, however, when I made my personal healing discovery that then led to a pursuit of research to explain and confirm it.

In 2010, I decided to write a book about the Earthing research and observations. Stephen Sinatra, one of my co-authors, is a cardiologist who regards grounding as the most significant health breakthrough in his more than three decades of medical practice. He has participated in research showing that Earthing naturally thins blood and improves blood flow. This is a major discovery inasmuch as thick blood and poor circulation are important characteristics of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The Earthing book has now been translated into fifteen languages. People are talking about it, to friends and relatives, after they start grounding themselves and get relief from pain, or poor sleep, or from symptoms of common disorders, including very serious ones. So whether by the printed word or word-of-mouth, news is spreading on a global basis and creating a buzz.

C&J: What elements of our daily lives in the modern world mean we’re not grounded?

CO: As I mentioned before, footwear alone has gone from conductive soles made from leather and hides to insulating soles made from rubber and plastic. Shoes have become a barrier between the Earth’s natural healing energy and our bodies.

During recent decades, chronic illness, auto-immune disorders, and inflammatory diseases have soared. Is there a possible relationship between a shoe-driven disconnection with the Earth, and such illnesses? Diabetes, for instance, is an inflammatory-related disease.

I know that the loss of our electric roots is an overlooked factor in the rise of diabetes, as well as autism, lupus, MS, and other inflammatory diseases. It’s not just the usual suspects of sedentary living and overconsumption of nutrient-poor food loaded with sugar.

Our shoes keep us ungrounded. So do our homes and our jobs. When did you last touch the ground with bare skin?

C&J: Is there an experiment that people can do on their own to feel the healing energy of the Earth?

CO: Absolutely. It’s so simple. Just sit outside with your bare feet on the ground for a half-hour or forty minutes. You can also walk around barefooted. Backyard grass, gravel, soil, sand, and even concrete works for the experiment.

If you live in a dry climate, moisten the ground. It will be more conductive that way. Make a note of your pain or stress level when you start and then again at the end. You will be pleasantly surprised.

C&J: Where can we find out more?

CO: For more information about Earthing, I suggest reading the Earthing book. Just Google it. To learn about the Earthing research, you can find the studies posted at www.earthinginstitute.net along with many FAQs and articles on Earthing.